Corona Police Chief George Johnstone encourages the public for any info on disappearance of Noah McIntosh, 8, of Corona. His case has been escalated to homicide with his father Bryce McIntosh eligible for death penalty. The press conference was held at Police Desalter Training Room in Corona, Calif. on Thursday, March 28, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

The father of missing 8-year-old Noah McIntosh of Corona was charged Thursday, March 28, with his murder after, police say, they learned he purchased acid and a 32-gallon trash can and researched what type of plastic could withstand acid.

During a news conference, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said the first-degree murder charge against Bryce Daniel McIntosh, 32, carries a special circumstance of torture, making him eligible for the death penalty.

“I’m still hopeful that investigators are going to locate (Noah’s remains),” Hestrin said. “We are very confident that it’s a homicide case. We are very confident that the individual that we’ve charged is responsible for Noah’s death.

“This office has experience trying no-body homicides, and if we have to, we will try this as a no-body homicide,” he said.

Blue ribbons for Noah McIntosh, 8, of Corona are on several trees near Corona, Calif. Police Dept. His case has been escalated to homicide with his father Bryce McIntosh eligible for death penalty. A press conference was held nearby Thursday, March 28, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Noah McIntosh, 8, of Corona case has been escalated to homicide with his father Bryce McIntosh eligible for death penalty. The press conference was held at Police Desalter Training Room in Corona, Calif. on Thursday, March 28, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Sound

The gallery will resume inseconds

Corona Police Chief George Johnstone encourages the public for any info on disappearance of Noah McIntosh, 8, of Corona. His case has been escalated to homicide with his father Bryce McIntosh eligible for death penalty. The press conference was held at Police Desalter Training Room in Corona, Calif. on Thursday, March 28, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Officials say their hearts go out to the family and missing eight-year-old boy Noah McIntosh. District Attorney Mike Hestrin says mom of boy is charged with child endangerment. Noah hasnÕt been seen since at least March 5, when mom, Jillian Marie Godfrey, reported him missing. The young boy had been living with his father, Bryce Daniel McIntosh, and 11-year-old sister. Godfrey told police that she hadnÕt seen Noah in two weeks. The press conference was held at Police Desalter Training Room in Corona, Calif. on Thursday, March 38, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Corona Police Chief George Johnstone, at podium encourages the public for any info on disappearance of Noah McIntosh, 8, of Corona. His case has been escalated to homicide with his father Bryce McIntosh eligible for death penalty. The press conference was held at Police Desalter Training Room in Corona, Calif. on Thursday, March 28, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Sgt. Chad Fountain, Corona Police Dept. PIO, gives details in the disappearance of Noah McIntosh of Corona, the case escalated to homocide. The boy’s father Bryce McIntosh was charged with the murder and torture of his 8-year-old son. The press conference was held at Police Desalter Training Room in Corona, Calif. on Thursday, March 28, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Noah McIntosh’s father Bryce McIntosh, left, was charged with the murder and torture of his 8-year-old son, left.
His mom Jillian Godfrey, 36, was arrested in mid March and is charged with child endangerment. A press conference was held at Police Desalter Training Room in Corona, Calif. on Thursday, March 38, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Media had to show identification to be admitting to the press conference. Police added that some without credentials tried to enter. It was held at Police Desalter Training Room in Corona, Calif. on Thursday, March 28, 2019. The case of 8-year-old Noah McIntosh of Corona has been escalated to homicide with his father Bryce McIntosh as the suspect. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Bryce McIntosh, father of 8-year-old Noah McIntosh of Corona, pictured, is a suspect in the boy’s homicide. A press conference was held at Police Desalter Training Room in Corona, Calif. on Thursday, March 28, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

The case of 8-year-old Noah McIntosh of Corona has been escalated to homicide with his father Bryce McIntosh as the suspect. A press conference was held at Police Desalter Training Room in Corona, Calif. on Thursday, March 28, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

District Attorney Mike Hestrin says mom of missing eight-year-old boy Noah McIntosh, pictured, is charged with child endangerment. The press conference was held at Police Desalter Training Room in Corona, Calif. on Thursday, March 28, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Bryce McIntosh, father of Noah McIntosh, 8, of Corona, pictured, is a suspect in the boy’s homicide. A press conference was held at Police Desalter Training Room in Corona, Calif. on Thursday, March 38, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

The case of Noah McIntosh, 8, of Corona has been escalated to homicide with his father Bryce McIntosh as the suspect. A press conference was held at Police Desalter Training Room in Corona, Calif. on Thursday, March 38, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Noah McIntosh, 8, has been missing from his Corona home for about two weeks. His parents, Bryce McIntosh and Jillian Godfrey, were arrested March 13, 2019, on suspicion of willful child cruelty. (Courtesy of Doug Godfrey)

The district attorney declined to detail the evidence brought to his office but did say the FBI forensics team has helped in the investigation.

However, a court document provides at least some of the evidence police say they have, and also gives a disturbing narrative of what investigators say were Noah’s last days– including accounts of the boy being tortured and a changing timeline from Noah’s mother, Jillian Godfrey, 36, about when the boy was last seen by her.

Searches were spurred by data taken after warrant searches of Bryce McIntosh’s cell phone and computer, laptop and other electronic devices taken from his Corona apartment.

Detectives have seen three store’s surveillance video, taken on March 4, of the father purchasing acid at one home-improvement store and a 32-gallon plastic trash can at another, according to a Declaration in Support of An Arrest Warrant. The document was filed Thursday by Corona police Detective Mario Hernandez in Riverside Superior Court.

At a department store, he bought two bottles of drain opener, the detective said.

Other items purchased that day, include two pairs of long-cuffed gloves, 24″ bolt cutters, four gallons of muriatic acid, one 128-ounce bottle of drain cleaner and a 32-ounce bottle of sulfuric acid drain opener, the declaration says.

Further, according to the declaration, Bryce McIntosh searched the web for “what kind of plastic can stand ‘uriatic (sic) acid?” and “Normal heart rate for an 8 year old when they are running.” Also, “What exactly is sulfuric acid,” and questions about sodium hydroxide, also known as lye.

Data from Bryce McIntosh’s cellphone led investigators to the unincorporated area of Aguanga in Riverside County on March 16, the declaration says. There, officers found a similar trash can, a paper with “Noah M.” on it, several purple latex gloves and parts of a blender.

Both the inside of a trash can and residue in a plastic bag found in the area tested positive for human blood, the declaration says, but the document does not link the blood to Noah.

Also recovered at the Aguanga site along Wilson Valley Road, north of Highway 371, were “numerous” purple latex gloves, empty bottles of drain cleaner, empty cans of oven cleaner, blankets, yellow towels and one blue long-cuffed glove, the declaration said.

Also on March 16, investigators, again using location evidence from Bryce McIntosh’s cell phone, went to the area of Squaw Mountain Road and Temescal Valley Road, where they recovered a purple latex glove, a soiled yellow towel, and part of a wooden spoon.

The declaration said the glove matched ones found in a warrant search of Bryce McIntosh’s black BMW 330i sedan, and used cleaning wipes were found at both locations searched March 16.

Police were asked to make a welfare check on Noah by his mother Jillian Marie Godfrey, on March 12, according to the declaration.

She originally told officers she last saw Noah when she dropped him off March 4 at Bryce McIntosh’s apartment in the 4600 block of Temescal Valley Road in Corona. But she told detectives March 13 she actually last saw the boy on March 2, during her March 1-3 stay over at the apartment.

She last saw Noah, she told detectives, when Bryce took the boy into the bathroom.

While Noah was in the bathroom she said she heard Noah ask Bryce why he was hurting him. Jillian said when she left Sunday, Noah had still not come out of the bathroom, according to the declaration.

The evidence leaves no doubt that Noah was a victim of a homicide, Corona Police Chief George Johnstone said at the Thursday morning news conference to announce that the murder charge had been filed.

The mother has been charged with child endangerment, authorities said. She has not been charged in the slaying.

Chief Johnstone said Bryce McIntosh’s lack of cooperation with detectives is “a point of frustration with the investigation, that the father has not been cooperative and the mother has very limited information. It does not make sense that the parents of an 8-year-old child do not know his whereabouts or be able to give us specific details as to where he was last seen, or where he last was.”

The young boy had been living with his father and his 11-year-old sister. There was no immediate word Thursday on where the sister was, and Johnstone declined to comment about her during the news conference.

“This tears up the heart of everyone who has touched this case,” Johnstone said Thursday. “In our hearts we know the best we can do to bring justice for Noah is presenting an unbiased case to the District Attorney’s Office.”

Godfrey and McIntosh initially were charged with one count each of willful child cruelty and were due to be arraigned April 8, when they can enter pleas.

Bail had been set at $500,000 for Godfrey.

Bryce McIntosh was being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

On Thursday, police asked that anyone, from mid-February until March 12, who may have seen Noah, either of his parents, or the father’s black BMW 330i to contact Senior Detective Mario Hernandez at 951-279-3659 or at mario.hernandez@coronaca.gov. The car’s California license plate number is 5MKE807.

A journalist since 1975 for City News Service in Los Angeles, The Associated Press in Los Angeles and New York, and The Press-Enterprise, Richard K. De Atley has been Entertainment Editor and a features writer. He has also reported on trials and breaking news. He is currently a business reporter for The P-E. De Atley is a Cal State Long Beach graduate, a lifelong Southern Californian (except for that time in New York -- which was great!) and has been in Riverside since 1992.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.